Electric switch



(No Model.)

C. W. SMITH & C. J. LYONS. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Patented Oct. 14, 1890. ,M @Z MTV J- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VCHARLES W. SMITH AND CORNELIUS J. LYONS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,260, dated October14, 1890.

I Application filed June 11,1890. Serial No. 355,056. (No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES W'. SMITH and CORNELIUS J. LYoNs, both ofBoston, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches for Street-Railways, of which the following is a description sufficiently full,clear, and exa-ct to enable any person skilled in the art or science towhich said invention appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspeciiication, in which- Figure l is aplan view of aswitch provided withour improvement; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same;Fig. 3, a sectional elevation of a car, showing the switchactuatingmechanism; and Fig. 4 an elevation illustrating details of construction.

Like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts inthe different figures of the drawings.

Our invention relates to means for adj usting the switch-tongue of astreet-railway from the car; and it consists in certain novel features,hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, the obj ect being to produce asimpler, cheaper, and more effective device of this character than isnow in ordinary use.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understoodby all conversant with such matters from the following` explanation.

In the drawings, A designates the main rail; B, the branch rail; C, theswitch-plate, and D the tongue. These parts are constructed and arrangedin the ordinary manner, excepting that the plate C is provided at itsinner edge with a lateral boss or projection h. A rectangular boX H isdisposed in the road-bed below the plate C. An electro-magnet J isdisposed within said box with its poles d proj ecting through the bossb, so that the free end of the switch-tongue D is in the field of saidmagnet. A horizontal lever f is fulcrumed in a standard g within the'boxH. Longitudinal slots h 'i are formed in the main and branch rail flangeon a line with each end, respectively, of the tongue. Studs lo m,mounted on the lever f, respectively project through the plate C intosaid slots. Two spring contact-plates p q are disposed in the box inposition to be engaged by the ends of said lever. The plate p andstandard g are respectively connected by wires with the coil of themagnet and with batteries located in any convenient position. The plateq serves as a catch to hold the adjacent ends of the lever f whendepressed. A stiff iat spring 25 is secured to the main track-raihandhasit's free end bearing against the switch-tongue, said spring tending tothrow the tongue away from the magnet-poles. j

The car K is of the ordinary form and construction. Alongitudinally-arranged shaft 15 is journaled under the car-platform. Alever 16 is mounted on said shaft, and is provided with a head 17 on onearm, adapted to engage the iiange of the rail and project into the slotsh rl. A spring-cushioned foot-piece 18 works in a socket 19 on theplatform, and a rod 2O connects said foot-piece with the upper arm ofthe lever 1G.

In the use of our improvement, the switch being closed as in Fig. 1, toopen it the driver of the car depresses the foot-piece 18, throwing thehead 17 of the lever 16 against the rail-flange and into the sloth,where it engages the stud 7c and throws it downward into engagement withthe contact-plate p. This closes the circuit and charges the magnet,which attracts the tongue D against the pressure of the spring 25 andopens the switch. As soon as the car-wheels have entered the branch, thehead of the lever 16, entering the slot t' in the rail-flange, engagesthe stud fm, depressing the corresponding end of the lever fintoengagement with the plate q, which secures it. The stud lc is therebythrown upward again into the sloth and out of engagement with the platep, whereby the circuit is broken and the spring 25 permitted to act onthe switch-tongue, throwing it outward and closing` the switch.

By forming the slots h i in the rails the studs 7c 'm are protected frompassing vehicles.

Having thus explained our invention,what we claim is- 1. Anelectrically-operated switch for streetcars, comprising anelectro-magnet diposed in an electric circuit and having its poles soplaced that the switch-tongue is in its lield IOO and mechanism actuatedby the car for closing and breaking said circuit, substantially asdescribed.l

2. An electrically-operated switch for streetcars, comprising anelectro-magnet disposed in an electric circuit and having its poles soplaced that the switch-tongue is in its field and mechanism actuated bythe car for closing and breaking said circuit, and a spring forreturning the switch-tongue when the circuit is broken, substantially asset forth.

3. In a switch for street-railways, provided with a pivoted tongue, anelectro-magnet disposed in an electric circuit with its poles inposition to attract said tongue, in combination with a spring forthrowing the tongue away from said poles and a pivot-ed lever disposedin said circuit and provided with a stud at each end projecting th roughthe track-rail, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a switch for street-railways, a box disposed under theswitch-plate, an electro-magnet disposed in an electric circuit with itspoles projecting through said plate, a spring for throwing said tongueaway from said poles, and a lever pivoted in saidcircuit Within the boxand provided with studs projecting into slots in the track-rail, wherebysaid circuit maybe closed and broken from the car, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

5. The switch-plate C, tongue D, and spring 25, in combination with themagnet J and the pivoted lever f, disposed in the circuit of said magnetand provided With studs 7c m, proj ecting into slots in the track-rail,substantially as specified.

6. The plate C, provided with slots h i, and tongue D, combined with thespring 25, magnet J, lever f, pivoted to the standard g and providedwith studs 7c m, and the plates p q, said plate p and standard beingdisposed in the circuit of said magnet, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

CHARLES W'. SMITH. CORNELIUS J. LYONS. Witnesses: TIMOTHY MCCARTHY,

JOHN BLEILER.

